The Enemy Within
by ANARCHY RULES
Summary: War has been declared on Mirinoi. Where do the rangers stand? Leo is pushed to his very limits if not beyond. Can he save the planet? Will he want to? Sequel to my Forever Red Fic. In Space Team up with Zhane.
1. Prologue

PROLOUGE

Earth Year: 2002

Planet: Mirinoi

FILE CLASSIFIED

DEVICE FOUND IN WHAT IS NOW KNOWN TO BE THE RENMANTS OF A BASE BELONGING TO THE NATIVES

THE FOLLOWING TEXT IS A COPY OF AN AUDIO FILE FOUND IN A MILITARY RECORDING DEVICE. THE SOUND FADES IN AND OUT AND IS OFTEN INTERUPTED BY OTHER SOUNDS. AN ATTEMPT TO IDENTIFY THE GARBLED WORDS AND OTHER SOUNDS HAS BEEN MADE HERE

* * *

_File begins_

(_Heavy breathing_)

I don't have much time, their coming, like I knew they would. I knew they couldn't resist what was down here.

(Distant g_unfire followed by several explosions)_

I suppose I'll have to start from the beginning. Mirinoi. That was where it had all began. We had left our (_planet?_) with such hope and such spirit that I would have found it laughable if someone had suggested that this would happen.

(_A weak chuckle)_

Well I doubt you're gonna catch me laughing now. I doubt you're gonna catch me doing a lot of things now. Anyway I'm wasting time.

When we arrived, our ship _Terra Venture_ had been destroyed after colliding with the planet's moon. Over two thousand people were killed. The survivors made it to the planet's surface via shuttle after losing what was left of our craft. And we were happy. Happy to be alive, happy that there were people native to this world that could help us. Happy that despite all the cosmos had thrown at us, we had done what others had said was impossible: we had found the New World. That happiness hadn't lasted longer than six months when it was replaced with discontent. Remember these (_static)_ had been modern day Americans who were not used to living in caves and tents. They wanted life to return to the way it had been and that's what our leaders tried to give them. A plan for a massive city had been drawn up by the settler's architects and the people of Mirinoi seemed interested as well as they could see the potential benefits that the city could bring to the planet. But then suddenly everything started happening too fast. Forests were devastated, lakes were drained, animals were left without a habitat and all the while, smoke rose up to blot out the sky. The people of Mirinoi protested what they called "The Rape of the Planet" but the settlers laughed at what they believed to be their neighbour's ignorance but when they destroyed an ancient historical monument sacred to the natives their gentle protests were whipped into a frenzy of heated words which eventually paved way for threats. The settlers responded in the same fashion and the tension between the two factions continued to rise and rise until on the twenty-fifth of October in the year two thousand and two. At precisely two o' clock a Mirinoian child was found riddled with bullets, quite obviously dead. The sight of her lying there is still with me even today. It couldn't have been someone native to the planet as they do not use guns so it had to have been a settler.

(_Explosions sound nearer_)

When the child was examined, it became apparent that it had been a military issue gun that shot her fifty-seven times. After that, there was no reasoning with either side. The settlers said they were innocent and the natives wanted retribution. Before anyone knew what had happened, there was suddenly a war declared on the once peaceful planet.

The native's elder Jera was a strong advocate for peace, he-he just could(_n't?)_ stand and watch as his beloved planet became a battle ground. But when he organised a cease fire, he was shot in the head in front of both sides. The settlers lost the trust of the Mirinoians and the fighting intensified.

The settlers had thought that the war would be an easy one as they thought they were fighting with guns against bows and spears. They were only partly right. They _were_ fighting with guns, their foes _did_ have bows and spears but the war was _not_ easy. The Mirinoians had so much more. The superstitions beings amongst the settlers believed that their foes were using sorcery and other forms of enchantment. The High Command issued an edict that warned those who spread such rumours would be executed on the spot. That should warned those people. Commander Stannon had always been a wise, caring leader. He never would have issued such a proclamation. The person who _did_ issue it just happened to bear such a strong resemblance to the Commander.

(_Explosion followed by what sounds like falling rocks_)

I'm running out of time so I guess you'll have to find out the rest of the story from someone else. There're coming for coming for me. There is no way that I could survive if they caught up with me. They are stronger, more powerful and more numerous with a weapon capable of burning a continent. But there is something that my pursuers don't seem to realise; I have no intention of surviving. I am going to end this war once and for all. If that means another life has to be sacrificed it might as well be mine. I have to keep my voice down, if the others hear what I'm saying they will try to stop me. They're like that. Loyal to the end, they're that kind of people, all three of them.

Why am I doing this you might wonder. I am doing this for the most important person in my life. The person who made me what I am. The woman I loved.

I am doing this for Kendrix.

My name is Leo Corbett and I am the Red Galaxy Ranger. I fight for Mirinoi and her people. All of them, settler and native alike.

(_Louder explosion, more falling rock. The speaker is now speaking softer so he is now barely audible._)

But most of all, I am fighting for the chance to see the woman I love once again.

This is the story of how I died.


	2. STOP THIS RIGHT NOW!

**For those who have not read my Forever Red fic, this story takes place right after Leo left the other Red Rangers.**

**PLEASE REVIEW**

CHAPTER ONE

It is amazing how quiet it is in space. It is so quiet that even the most solitary of hermits would long to hear another voice. And Leo had never been a hermit. He had tried contacting his friends on Mirinoi via communicator but he couldn't get through. Now, has he flew his Jammer, this time alone, the demons in his mind filled in for them. He would have preferred to be alone. _What are you going to do boy?_ they whispered to him. _This isn't an enemy you can hack to pieces with that silly sword of yours._ Suddenly, for one miraculous moment, it paused before returning with a greater malice than any _real_ enemy. But that was the problem. This enemy was _so_ real. He just didn't know that. _Can you use your blade?_ it hissed. An image of himself hacking through civilians suddenly came unbidden to his head. _Where will you stand, if it comes to war? More importantly, where will your friends? Kai is on the GSA as is your brother._ It paused before revealing its cruellest barb. _So is Kendrix, could you watch her die again? This time at your own hands. An image of that hellish day on Rashon came to Leo's mind. Kendrix's ethereal form, that bright light and the sudden realisation that she was gone. Think about it boy it commanded before finally leaving. After an eternity of battling the turmoil in his soul, the green planet Mirinoi finally came into view only something was different about it. There was a large patch of brown, barren earth that hadn't been there before. Then, there was an explosion in the Southern hemisphere so large it could be seen _from orbit. Leo's blood froze solid and it had nothing to do with the chill of space_. _

_No! Please no!_

War was declared.

* * *

"Come on, come on!" screamed Leo as he punched the Jammer's controls as if that would make it go any faster. He steered his craft towards the source of the explosion willing the whole situation to be nothing more than a bad dream. Then, suddenly amongst his inner turmoil, an idea came to his mind. An extremely stupid and dangerous idea that could easily get him killed but at that stage he honestly didn't care. His transdagger held enough power to resurrect a Galactabeast and transform it into a Zord but, what would it do to a Jet Jammer? Leo knew he couldn't wait at least five minutes to get to the surface so he stabbed his dagger into the control panel which resulted in a shower of sparks cascading over him. But it worked. The Jammer instantly sped up to a speed that would have killed anyone not wearing a suit similar to the one Leo was wearing. Suddenly instead of stars he saw clouds and just as quickly he passed them.

"_Warning,"_ said the expressionless computer voice, _"Impact with surface in fifteen seconds."_ Leo did not slow down. For him, that would be the same as wasting time. Instead, he activated the crash protocols and leant back in his seat before being cocooned in a safety harness even more detailed than the one he was previously wearing.

"_Impact in five,_

_Four,_

_Three,_

_Two,_

_One._

Impact.

Head bangs against console and hits inside of helmet.

A brief sight of bright stars quickly followed by blackness.

* * *

But only for five seconds. Leo groaned as he crawled out of the wreckage of his Jet Jammer. He suddenly realised that his visor and much of the front his helmet had been shattered in the crash.

"Uh," he grunted as he tore the helmet off, "I am _never_ doing that again!" As he dropped the ruined helmet, he thought to himself, _I really need to stop breaking this. It's becoming a habit._ He looked around and suddenly remembered why he was now rubbing a bruise on his face. He looked around and saw two different armies, one wearing the black and grey body armour of the GSA while the opposing side wore animal skins varying from grey to brown. They looked like they had just stopped fighting at literally that second. In all fairness, a Red Ranger crashing into the planet in what appeared to be a kamikaze run aimed at the ground would be enough to stop all but the most zealous of fighters. Despite the rapidly growing pain all over his body he was able to determine what was happening with ease. He leant on his Quasar Sabre and bellowed, "STOP THIS RIGHT NOW!" His voice carried all the way across the burnt out wasteland that had, only fifteen minutes previously been a forest. He spun around and it seemed to every combatant that he was able to look every one of them in the eye and see right into their very souls. "You are _so_ much better than this!" he declared, showing no favouritism to either group. "Who's in charge here?" he demanded. Slowly, like two scolded school boys, a man from either faction marched towards the infuriated Red Ranger. "What is the meaning of this?" he hissed.

"One of our children was murdered by the foreigner scum," spat the Mirinoian Elder.

"The savages are lying in order to gain sympathy," challenged the GSA colonel.

"You are going to stop this right now!" Leo ordered, "Tend to your dead, treat your wounded. Once I'm sure you're going to follow my instructions, I'm going to find the rest of my team and fix this."

"One of your "team" is a _traitor_ sir," barked the colonel. _Maya_ fumed Leo _we agreed not to take sides!_ When neither leader appeared to be taking his instructions to heart, Leo said, "I'm going to ask you once more and _then_ I'm going to get angry. _Stop this now, tend to your dead, treat your wounded._" He raised his blade, "You don't want to see me angry do you?" he asked.

The leaders couldn't arrange a cease-fire fast enough.

* * *

When both armies had disappeared from the clearing, only then did Leo allow himself to demorph and collapse to the ground, finally succumbing to his injuries. What he did had caused him damage but, in hindsight, he would have still made the same decision regardless of the injuries he sustained. Because he was Leo and that was the kind of man he was. As he slowly let unconscious take over him completely, he failed to notice he was been watched by for individuals.


	3. Delirium

CHAPTER TWO

Leo dreamed.

He dreamed of being carried from his wrecked vehicle and taken through the jungle.

He dreamed of familiar voices.

"Is he going to be okay?"

"He's cracked three ribs and he's going to have to go easy on his leg for the next few days."

"What was he thinking doing that? It could have been suicide."

"That's my little brother for you. He never does things halfway."

"I hope he's okay."

"He's a big boy Kendrix. He can take care of himself."

"Yeah but-"

"No buts about it."

"It's okay, we know how you feel."

_Kendrix? Was she there? He always liked her._

"I like Kendrix," he mumbled, "She's pretty." He felt his bearers stop momentarily before resuming their pace. He suddenly realised he had to say something. "Serpentera-destroyed," he managed to get out, "Andros-." It became too much for him and he dreamed of darkness once again.

* * *

"I like Kendrix," the unconscious Leo mumbled while being carried by Mike and Damon, "She's pretty." The two stopped at that announcement and turned around to grin at Kendrix who was blushing as pink as her power suit.

"Typical Leo," smirked Kai, who was taking up the rear, "Even in the middle of a bloody civil war and while being unconscious to boot, he can always break the gravity of the situation." While Leo and Kendrix were _not_ exactly a couple _per se_, there _was_ however a pool between the guys on how long it would take for them to hook up. With that little statement from their comatose pal, Kai just took the lead.

"Serpentera-destroyed," stammered Leo in his delirium, "Andros-." It was too much for their friend and he fell back into complete unconsciousness once again. The team continued their journey through the dense jungle.

"Soooo," said Kai sardonically to the still blushing Kendrix.

"Shut up Kai," said Kendrix, trying to force the blush away.

"'_I like Kendrix, she's pretty._'" Kai did pretty good impression of Leo while he was unconscious.

"Shut up!"

"Well at least we have some good news Mike," said Damon, ignoring the playful sibling banter going on behind him.

"Yeah," responded Mike, "Serpentera destroyed, that's... huge." He had heard many stories from those who remembered the bloody reign of that savage sky beast from his time on Earth. And to top it off, his baby brother had a hand in its demise.

"It doesn't really do us much good however," said Damon realistically, "There's still a war going on here."

"Just don't mention Maya around him for a bit," said Mike, "He could be a little unstable at first, let's not unhinge him completely."

* * *

Leo awoke. The light was stabbing into his eyes like thousands of tiny knives digging further into his brain. His shirt was off but his chest was not uncovered. An arrangement of bandages covered his torso, hiding an ugly, purple bruise that had formed on his upper body. A cool, soothing sensation was felt on his forehead. When he noticed water dripping down his head, he realised that someone was applying a wet cloth to his head. Nothing had ever felt quite so wonderful.

His vision started to come back into focus and he saw, above his head, a floating pair of glasses. That was weird. Glasses don't float. _Do they?_ His vision suddenly cleared completely and he saw the most beautiful thing in existence.

"Hello," said Kendrix, that radiant smile beaming across her face.

"Hi," gasped Leo, his throat parched.

"Here," she said offering him a cup of that precious liquid. He gulped it down in a second and immediately spluttered as it went down the wrong way. The discomfort he felt, however, was well worth the sound of her laugh. "Are you okay?" she asked gently.

"Yeah I'm fine-,"

_WHAM!_

She punched him right in the face.

And it _hurt._

It _really _hurt.

"Ow," he complained, rubbing his face in pain. There was definitely going to be a bruise. "What was that for?" he demanded.

"How could you leave like that?" she asked, tears forming in her eyes, magnified by her glasses.

"Well I-," he stammered.

"I had to hear it from _Karone_," she hissed, "How come she was worth your time and I-we weren't? I was scared the whole time. Not knowing when you were coming back, if you were coming back!"

"None of you were supposed to know I was going," he said, "It was a Red Ranger_ only_ mission. I knew you guys would try to stop me."

"A war started when you were gone!" she whispered.

"I know and I'm sorry," he apologised, "What do you want from me?"

Suddenly she was hugging him and crying at the same time, she was trembling in his arms.

"Karone t-told me about Serpentera," she wept softly, "I was so scared. I-I couldn't sleep for thinking of you. I was so scared."

"It's okay," he said, "I'm here and I'm not going anywhere." He suddenly realised that their faces were just_ millimetres_ apart. All it would take is for him to move slightly forward and... _Could he?_

He did.


	4. Interuption

**Note: This chapter is **_**not**_** a lemon. That may happen later but, if so, the rating will probably have to change to M. If you want a lemon, say so in your reviews.**

CHAPTER THREE

Their lips met and suddenly they were kissing each other, their passion for each other let loose like water bursting through a dam. Leo pulled her tight against his chest and even though his battered ribs screamed in protest, he paid no heed to their dissent too focussed on the woman in his arms. She seemed so small and so vulnerable despite the fact that she was a Power Ranger and that she had even sacrificed her own life to save the colony. Her hands were behind his head and she pulled him in even closer to her, if that were possible. She wanted this to go on forever, all the way in to eternity. She then pulled him down on top of her and for a second, she felt his whole weight on her before he supported himself on his arms, lips still locked. Her hands reached for the bottom of her own shirt but then she suddenly hesitated. _Could she continue?_ She wanted to _but...?_

Unfortunately she never found out as Kai, Damon and Mike chose that _exact_ moment to enter the medical tent. Leo and Kendrix immediately sprung apart. All five people in the tent made a perfect impression of goldfish, their mouths all forming a large O.

"Um," stammered Kendrix, "We-we were um just uh."

"Yeah," finished Leo, "We were just, yeah." Mike, Damon and Kai just looked at each other.

"_WHAT?"_ they said in unison.

"Never mind," said Kai, "We only came to tell you that we were summoned to meet with Commander Stannon."

"We'll wait for you outside," said Mike and then they departed. Once they were out of earshot Kai said, "Alright fellas, pay up." Grumbling, both Mike and Damon each slapped a twenty into Kai's open palm.

* * *

Kendrix and Leo both looked at each other awkwardly. Kendrix was so sad that they had been interrupted. She had loved Leo for years but never knew he saw her as anything more than a friend. Now they were interrupted thirty seconds after he finally confirmed that he felt the same way.

"Nice to keep these things private init?" said Leo, grinning slightly.

"Yeah," said Kendrix absently.

"So what now?" he asked, "What are we? Are we boyfriend-girlfriend or just friends who just kiss occasionally?"

"I-I dunno," she stammered, too nervous to speak, "_Whatdoyouthink?"_

"Pardon?"

"What do you think?" she repeated, slower than before.

"Personally, I'd settle for boyfriend-girlfriend thing," he said honestly "I love you Kendrix Morgan and have felt that way ever since I crashed into you. Sorry about that by the way," he added, that cheeky grin that she loved so much plastered over his features. "What do you say?" he asked.

She didn't answer verbally. Her kiss was a surprising as it was wonderful. It was obvious to everyone else that they were perfect for each other but, when _you're_ the one people are placing bets on, it's never obvious. Life is funny that way.

"Tonight," she began, utterly nervous, "Um-we could... Well we wouldn't be interrupted a-and we would have all the time we'd need." Leo smiled. She was _so _cute when she was nervous.

His reply wasn't verbal either.

* * *

"Alright," said Mike, "When they exit the tent, there is to be absolutely _no_ wisecracks, jokes or funny faces okay? Save it for later. It's taken them three years for them to get together, Let's not wreck it. Got that?"

"Yes Mike," came the automatic reply from the Blue and Green Ranger. When Leo and Kendrix emerged from the tent, they were surprised by the lack of jokes at their expense.

"So," said Damon casually, "How was your mission?" Momentarily taken aback, Leo answered, "Success. And there are _ten _Red Rangers!"

"_Ten?_" exclaimed Kai, "You're serious?"

"Yeah and how come us Green guys never get anything like that?" questioned Damon, "We're the guys who keep the teams running, we deserve a team-up! I demand a team-up."

"We lost one though," said Leo soberly, "Aurico, an alien ranger was killed due to mass shock. We couldn't revive him and he died." A look of extreme sorrow passed his face and Kendrix held an arm around his shoulder for support. He looked at her gratefully. "Anyway the new Red Ranger is _really_... Well he's a rookie and he kept following one of us around nattering on about sandwiches and Neptune. What was that about?"

"How's Andros?" Mike asked.

"He's... different," said Leo, "Something happened to him and I think it involved Ashley, you do know they were a couple right?"

"Who didn't?"

"Yeah well, something happened and it's really taken its toll on him. He's not the same guy we knew." Leo look became pensive until he suddenly remembered something. Something really important that was said in passing to him by one of the soldiers. "Where's Maya?" he asked. When there was no response he got angry, "_Where. Is. Maya?_" He asked, stressing each syllable through gritted teeth.

"We'll tell you when you see Stannon," said Mike, "This is not to keep you in the dark but... it will save time when talking with him." Leo didn't really understand but Kendrix was with him and her presence calmed him down enough to say, "Then let's go see Stannon. I want an explanation."

_No you don't_, thought Kendrix. _It'll only break your heart. I wish I could take all of the pain away that you are about to feel_.

Inwardly, Kendrix Morgan wept.

**Author's Note: If you want it, vote for it.**


	5. Madness & Wagers

CHAPTER FOUR

Immediately, the jungle disappeared, replaced by the sprawling, if slightly incomplete, metropolis. But unlike the shining city of _Terra Venture_ something was... off. Not right. Leo could not put his finger on it but whatever it was, it felt _wrong_.

"Do you guys-?" he began.

"Yeah, we feel it too," said Damon, "I had a look at the plans for this, a-and I don't know why but just_ looking_ at it gave me the chills."

"How in the world did they build all of this so fast," asked Leo, looking around. There were builders and technicians all scurrying about like ants, each preoccupied with their own personal tasks. But one thing clear: Their faces showed the same emotions he felt. Confusion and was that... _fear?_ "This place was just the Command buildings and the skeletons of other buildings. I was only gone for two days. This should _not_ exist. It's impossible. What'd you do?" He addressed the last part to Damon.

"Don't ask me," he said, "I haven't got a clue. Stannon has kept me away from the actual building part of the project and just let me stay as an observer." Leo's mind reeled. Why would Stannon only let the best mechanic and worker only take part in the greatest project yet devised as an _assistant?_ That just didn't make any sense whatsoever, no matter which way you looked at it.

_What on Earth is going on here?_ He thought. _Whatever it is, I don't like it._

Then they reached what was called Central. The Command Tower.

* * *

The Command Tower looked like some giant, demented child with a fiendish implement of playthings had crudely nailed a massive, ugly pillar into the ground. There were two three metre high razor wire fences, the second one fifteen metres away from the tower, each with eight guards at their prospective gate. Just outside the first fence was wooden posts that two Mirinoians were tied to. A young woman and a boy no more than twelve. From the state of their faces and clothes, it was evident that they had been there for some time. And that they hadn't been fed.

"Don't say anything Leo," said Mike, grabbing his younger brother's arm, "Don't make a scene."

"This is madness," he said through gritted teeth.

"Did anyone notice that they've doubled the guard?" said Kai once they passed the second checkpoint, his years of military training and strategic mind scrambling for an answer. He couldn't think of any logical answer, which suggested that it was entirely illogical.

"Yeah," affirmed Damon, "Why do you think they did that?"

"Haven't a clue," came the response. In the reception there were to more guards standing before an elevator. One of them spoke into his helmet microphone.

"Rangers are here sir," he said, "Awaiting your access now."

"The codes have been sent and the elevator is descending," came the reply

_Ping!_

That was the elevator.

"Inside," commanded the soldier, none too kindly, "The Commander is waiting on the top floor." The rangers complied and before too long, the elevator doors closed, sealing them inside the tiny capsule.

The only thing to be heard was the hum of the elevator ascending a thousand floors, no-one could think of anything to say. In the case of Leo and Kendrix, however, they didn't need verbal communication. They were content to merely be in each other's arms.

"_Ahh,_" groaned Damon, "Get a room would ya? Are you going to be like this the _whole_ time?"

"Yeah," said Kendrix, "Do you have a problem with that?"

"Nope just checking," was all Damon said.

More silence, until...

_Ping!_

"Finally," said Kai. Slightly regretful, Leo and Kendrix slid out of their embrace and left the elevator. Mike looked around, taking in every little detail:

There were six soldiers armed with assault rifles guarding the elevator.

The interior of the building of less complete than its exterior.

There were walls that suddenly ended leaving a mess of wires exposed and, as a result, there were technicians in lab coats running about.

All of technicians were carrying what were supposed to be concealed firearms.

There were already four cameras homing in on the group.

And finally, Commander Stannon was waiting to greet them.

"Hello rangers," he said warmly, "Mr Corbett, it is good to see you back in one piece. I heard that you crashed into the middle of one of our skirmishes. Now you probably know why you are here. One of your teammates has gone renegade and is using her powers to help the savages instead of using them to wipe them out! What I want you to do, is to take a squad and hunt her down. I want her dead or alive, I'm not particular on the result. If she's alive we can make an example out of her, do something to _really_ scare the savages. When the mission is complete I have another task I'll wasn't you to do so report back as soon as possible." Leo wanted to say that he wasn't going to take part in a mission that involved hunting down his friend but Mike tightly squeezed his arm and steered him away.

* * *

"Why did you do that Mike?" demanded Leo as soon as they were clear of the two checkpoints around Central, "There is _no_ way I am taking any part of this mission! You should know that!"

"Of course we do Leo," responded Mike, "We just thought that you needed to see what had happened. You've been gone and we didn't want you to make a mistake now that everything is so tense. Mistakes can be very costly at the moment."

"What happened?" Leo asked, "I thought we agreed to be neutral. When did Maya go off?" Mike closed his eyes and sighed.

"We'll show you."

* * *

The morgue was one of the few fully completed buildings. In times of war they will always throw buckets of money at the places. What was strange however was that most morgues don't normally have armed, military guards. When they started for the entrance the guards looked like they wanted to stop them but two members of their party were clearly marked as military and they were admitted inside without any delay.

They walked through a series of white, sterile corridors with nothing to break the monotony. The air conditioning was _way_ too cold (ice was developing on the walls and their breath misted) and Leo was immensely glad of his leather jacket. Kendrix on the other hand was wearing a skin tight GSA uniform that, while showing off her figure, did nothing to hold off the cold and as a result her teeth were chattering so much that her jaw ached uncontrollably. Leo pulled of his jacket and wrapped it around her leaving himself wearing nothing more than a red singlet on his torso. Kendrix wanted to give it back, citing that now he had to be colder but she was just too cold to say anything that would take away the warmth.

Not that Leo would take it.

"Three years and its nothing but shy looks," said Damon to Kai, "And now one day we catch them removing clothing. Fifty says he proposes in just over a week."

"I dunno," responded Kai, "Leo knows that Kendrix is always nervous, "But we do have to take into account that we are in war, people rush things in times like this, so I'll say around... two weeks." They suddenly realised that Mike was now directly behind them and that he heard them discussing his little brother's future marital status.

"Two weeks, three days and twenty-one hours."


	6. Then why do I hear thunder?

CHAPTER FIVE

"This place is a lot bigger than it looks on the outside," remarked Kai.

"That's because we are underground," said Damon, "Look at the floor, see how it's slowly going down, it has been for some time. I would say that we've been underground for the past ten minutes." Mike looked around nervously. Ever since been trapped in the crevice by Furio and his subsequent imprisonment inside the Magna Defender, he had been extremely nervous when encountering underground or enclosed spaces.

"You know something Damon?" he said, "I've been here several times and I did not know that. Now I do. Thank you for wrecking that for me."After another five minutes of walking, they finally reached their destination. A reinforced eight inch thick titanium door that could only be opened by use of a level one clearance key card. There were also three different security camera watching their progress and unbeknownst to them, fourteen cutting lasers that would activate provided the wrong key card was inserted.

"Here we are," said Mike.

"All of this?" said Leo, "Just to hold a body?"

"Wait till you see," said Kai gravely as he swiped his key card. The door slid away with a silent hissing sound. The group entered the room and the door automatically closed behind them, adding to Mike's claustrophobia. If possible, it was even colder and Kendrix, despite the fact that she was now wearing Leo's jacket, shivered. The only thing that grabbed any attention was a covered bench in the middle of the room. Mike partially removed the sheet covering the bench to reveal the face of a dead child, her face completely white and lifeless.

"Who is she?" asked Leo.

"The reason we're at war," said Kai.

"No," said Kendrix softly, tears running down her face only to freeze, "We would have still found a way to kill each other because that's what we humans do. All we do is kill and destroy and little girls her will always be caught in the middle of it."

"Do you want to wait outside," said Mike not unkindly.

"No," she said quickly, "I'm fine. I'm sorry, I need to go." She quickly left the room and Leo could hear her sobs outside. He started after her but Damon pulled him back.

"What are doing?" he demanded, "She needs help."

"We're only here for you benefit," said Damon, "So if you go know, her pain is for nothing."

"Alright," he conceded, "Keep going."

"She was shot on the day you left," said Mike. He removed the rest of the sheet to reveal the most horrific site Leo had ever seen. The child's body was absolutely _riddled_ with bullets. He held back his feeling of revulsion and asked who she was.

"She's a native child," Mike said emotionlessly, "And she was shot fifty-seven times and it was a military issue weapon that did it. It threw the natives into an uproar and when they demanded explanations Stannon gave nothing and war was declared. It was then that Maya threw off all pretence of neutrality and joined the natives. And the thing is, I can't blame her. But... she took the Quasar Sabre before leaving. We haven't seen her in an active battle ground but there have been reports of her from our night scouts. Last night there was a massive thunder storm and they were able to see her in the light. Logically, this means that something big is coming and they're saving her for it. And whatever it is, it can't be good."

"What do we do?" asked Damon, "We agreed to hold on a decision until you came back but what do we do if she is in an attack? Can we _really_ kill one of our own?"

The look in Leo's eyes was truly chilling. He now had something to protect and there was absolutely _nothing_ he would not give up to end the war one _second_ earlier.

"I'll do what's necessary."

* * *

Kendrix leant against the wall sobbing, feeling her tears freeze before they even finished their descent down her face and they stuck to her face like cold beads of glass. She shivered, even with Leo's jacket on which had his comforting scent but did nothing alleviate the cold. She was positive that if she was warm she would be able to control her turbulent emotions. Suddenly warmth whipped through her filling her body with miraculous heat.

"You know," said a voice conversationally, "I can really see the advantage of these fire powers." There was only one person who could make Kendrix smile like that.

Leo.

He looked different. Somehow. It was difficult to place. He was almost... glowing?

"How are you doing that?" she asked with amazement.

"Something I learned on Aquitar," he said, "I was so desperate to see something that wasn't water and suddenly I was shooting fire from my hands as if I were morphed. I think we could all do it if we tried- TRIED!" he exclaimed as a loud crash was heard outside, "Oh that's it. Mike, Kai, Damon! Get out here!" The three rushed out.

"What?" said Damon, "Are we under attack or something?" Leo ignored him and went straight to his big brother.

"Mike," he said, "You said when the scouts saw Maya there was a massive thunder storm right?"

"Yeah," he confirmed, "And?"

"Was she morphed?" Leo asked.

"No," came the reply.

"This is very bad," said Leo, "Everyone get out!" The team followed their leader towards the exit of the morgue. "Kai," said Leo, "What's the weather forecast for this afternoon?"

"Sunny day. Why?"

"Then why do I hear thunder," he said opening the door. Outside was a raging thunderstorm smothering the buildings in a blanket of unceasing, windblown torrential downpour. "What time is it?" he yelled over gale.

"Two o'clock!" Kai shouted back, "This storm shouldn't even be here!"

"It's Maya," yelled Leo, "She's learnt how to use her powers unmorphed! She's coming right now!"


	7. You make me this

**Author's Notes:** I hope you like this chapter, this is where the story really starts. If you like it, **please review**. Reviews are the main reason I write as I want to improve.

**Red Tornado** if you get a proper account can I e-mail you the plan for the story? I want you to tell me what you think.

CHAPTER SIX

There she was, standing before them. If she was surprised by their presence, she hid it well. The bolts of lightning struck the ground around her, giving her the unnatural appearance of a wraith. Slowly, she stepped forward.

"I am giving you one chance," she said harshly, "Leave now, or you bring whatever happens on yourself."

"Guys," said Leo softly, barely heard over the din, "Whatever happens, don't interfere."

"What are you going to?" asked Damon suspiciously, remembering that ruthless glint he had seen in Leo's eyes. Leo turned to him and smiled.

"I'm going to recover our missing teammate," he said gently. He took step towards Maya.

"Leave _now!_" she hissed, sending a bolt of lightning from her hands towards him. He didn't stop and the bolt narrowly missed him by millimetres on his left side. "That was your warning shot," she declared, "_LEAVE!_" Leo kept walking unceasingly to his former teammate. The next bolt shot passed his right, disintegrating a tree behind him. Leo didn't even flinch. Then the third caught him in the middle of the chest, bringing him to his knees. His scream was only just held back but his body did spasm uncontrollably as the electricity coursed through his body. His friends started to rush towards him.

"_STAY BACK!_" he commanded, never taking his eyes off his attacker, "This is just between the two of us." He painfully got to his feet and continued his march towards Maya. "What are you going Maya?" he asked, "Are you really gonna kill me? After everything we've been through, do you mean to tell me you're just gonna throw it all away?"

"Don't make me do this Leo," she said, "It's not going to do anything for me. Your people are killing mine."

"It's more than that though, isn't it?" said Leo, "It's personal. Who is she?"

"My _SISTER!_" screamed Maya, knocking him over with another electrical attack, "_THEY TOOK MY SISTER FROM ME!_"

"And is killing me and a bunch of civilians going to change that?" asked Leo, somehow returning to his feet, "If you truly believe that Maya, then kill me now, because I am _not_ going to let my teammates cut down civilians. We protect them, not the other way around." He stood before her with his arms outstretched, his eyes locked onto hers. Her hands started to glow with lethal intensity. Leo didn't move, he didn't even blink. "You are _so_ much better than this Maya and I trust you to be the best you can be."

Two bolts of lightning shot forth from her hands.

* * *

Only for them both to miss once again.

"NO!" screamed Maya clutching her skull, "I'm not going to kill him. GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" Energy shot from her face and from it materialised a demon. It stood eight feet tall, had jet black skin with spikes growing all over its body. Its eyes burned with a feral light and in it hands it held a mighty war hammer. Maya collapsed to the ground, not moving. The storm without someone to contain and control it grew even more fierce.

"I knew something was wrong," said Leo, "Maya would never attack me in her normal state of mind and even with you controlling her, she couldn't kill me."

"What are you people?" snarled the demon, "You are so hard to control. You have hardly any darkness inside you souls." It then pointed to Kendrix, "And I can't even get a foothold on her. Who are you people?"

"Your destruction," said Leo calmly.

"You fool," spat the demon, "What do you make of me? A weakling?"

"No," said Leo, "The real question to ask is; what do you make of me?" He raised his hands, palms facing his foe. "You make me this." With those words, fire shot from his hands and encased the creature in a smothering blanket of flames. "That's what you creatures do," said Leo, "You turn me into this. A killer." The flames grew even more intense and the monster howled in agony before collapsing to the ground, dead. "Go back to Hell and choke on it," said Leo before walking over to Maya's motionless form. Slowly, her eyes opened.

"Hello," she said weakly.

"Hi," he answered, "You still with us?"

"Yeah, I'm back," she replied, "But my sister." She started to cry. "I wanted to kill them so badly. That monster only gave me a push."

"It's alright," said Leo softly, just rocking her back and forward, "You're back with us, this is where you belong." The others walked over to them and finally, they were whole once again. The rain had calmed down to a gentle drizzle now and the wind had abated.

"Excellent work Mister Corbett," said a voice, and they turned to see Commander Stannon, flanked by twenty assault troopers, "Move out of the way now, we'll deal with the renegade." With his words, the soldiers turned off their weapons' safety locks and took aim at Maya. Leo sighed sadly and turned to Mike.

"I'm so sorry," he said softly, so only the others could hear. But you have to go along with what I say. We need an inside man." He then suddenly raised his voice, "What do you mean Mike? We can't just let her be executed!" Mike's heart felt a shaft of ice stab it when he realised what his brother was planning but he also knew that he was right.

"Yes we can Leo," he said harshly, "The bitch is a traitor and she needs to die," he then softly added, "_Run._" He then rushed over to the troopers.

"At least one of you knows where to place your loyalties," said Stannon, "Open fire." For Leo, time seemed to freeze. He could see the bullets moving towards them and he realised there was only one thing to do.

"_GO GALACTIC!_" he screamed.


	8. Gingaman no Yo Sa

**So far:** Leo has just come back to Mirinoi after taking part in the Forever Red mission (A story about it is on my profile) **to find the planet being fought over by the settlers. He stops a skirmish but is seriously weakened and collapses. After he wakes up he and Kendrix are finally honest about their feelings for each other and kiss**, only to be interrupted by their friends. Leo then finds out that **Maya has sided with the Mirinoians after her sister was killed** by a military issue gun. Leo has also discovered that they can **have power over their chosen element when they are not morphed** (**NOT MAGIC, this power was used on their Sentai version – Gingaman**).Maya attacks them but it is revealed that **demons** are influencing the actions of the settlers and natives but **cannot gain any control over Kendrix for reasons unknown.** Leo kills the demon after which Stannon orders his soldiers to have Maya executed. The team resists and with Mike remaining as a **double agent** the rest are now on the run as fugitives.

**Author's Note: **Thanks for all of your reviews; you guys make me really enjoy writing. **Red Tornado** the e-mail did not come through.

Enjoy

CHAPTER SEVEN

Leo felt familiar sensation of electricity running through his body as his protective suit enveloped him. The suit had covered him just in time as the bullets began to beat down on them like the rainstorm. Kai was not as lucky as a shot hit him in the shoulder just before he finished morphing.

"Kai," said Damon urgently, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," insisted Kai, "The suit is dealing with it."

"Yeah, but are you-," Maya begun.

"The suit is dealing with it," repeated Kai.

"Right guys," said Leo, "When I give the word we run. Maya do you know a place where we can hide. Not with the villagers. We don't know if they've been infected."

"I know a place," she said.

"Right," said Leo, "When I give the word, we run." Then the soldiers opened fire again but this time Leo, empowered by the suit, unleashed a massive mane of fire that cut across the ground leaving a burning wall in between them and their opponents.

"Now we run."

Over the roar of the fire, Leo heard something.

"This is not over Corbett. We _will_ get you. You will pay for this treachery."

* * *

"Everyone, this way," said Maya urgently, "They're gonna call in reinforcements any second now." They followed her through the dense foliage, hacking away at any impediments with their sabres.

"Where are we going?" asked Kai through gritted teeth. His wound was not as trivial as he had made it out to be and he could feel the blood trickling down his shoulder under his suit.

"Just a little further," she said as they sprinted, bullets whizzing around them, one ricocheting off Leo's shoulder. Ahead of them, Leo could see a rope tied between two trees with a strange sign hanging from it. It was a sheet of white cloth with a Mirinoian symbol that he did not recognise painted on it. "There it is," she said, "Make for the barrier!"

_Barrier?_

Then, when she came into contact with the rope, she just disappeared. No bang, no flash of light, no nothing to explain her disappearance, she just vanished. Then, just as surprising as her disappearance, her head appeared, floating in mid-air. "Come on," she said, "They can't follow us over the barrier, only rangers can get across." Within seconds, the other four crossed the barrier and the gunfire was instantly silenced. Leo turned around and he couldn't even see any pursuing soldiers.

"Where are we?" he asked Maya.

"_Gingaman no Yo Sa_," she said, removing her helmet, "The Fortress of the Galaxy Men. This place was to be the stronghold of the warriors who possessed the Quasar Sabres. It hasn't been used for three thousand years as the only one who can cross the barrier have to have _ginga_ blood in their veins. Basically, they have to be, or have been at some point in their lives, a ranger."

It truly was a fortress. It was a large, rectangular building built on to a massive rock and it was so large it was practically a man made mountain, with small windows dotting the construction like holes in cheese. The gate was three metres high and one metre across and below it was a thin causeway that attackers would have to walk across, in single file, to get to. That was the only way in.

"I would _not_ want to attack that," said Damon, "That would be utter suicide."

"Power down," said Leo. As one, their suits vanished. Instantly Kai collapsed to the ground, a thick river of blood pouring from his shoulder. He gripped his wound, trying to quell the flow. _Oh you fool,_ thought Leo, _Why did you not say it was serious?_ He then thought, _wouldn't you have done the same?_

"Quickly," ordered Maya, "Get him inside. I know what to do."

* * *

Leo and Damon carried Kai while Maya lead them through a series of long, twisting halls. Finally, they stopped before five doors with a descending flight of stairs in the middle, between the Lion door and Gorilla door. Each door had a large bronze medallion with a different symbol etched in each one.

A Lion.

A Gorilla.

A Condor.

A Wolf.

A Wildcat.

"Quickly," commanded Maya, "Get him inside his room." She held Kai's hand to the door depicting a gorilla and the door silently swung inwards. The room, if it could be called such, mainly consisted of a series of rock pools in varying sizes. Maya commanded them to place Kai in the water and when they did, a miracle occurred.

The wound disappeared.

"The rooms are designed to keep us at our full potential," informed Maya, "In the Great Dimension War fought three thousand years ago, such quick sources of healing were a must have. He is going to need some rest though, so take him to the end of the room and you'll find a bed. Put him there and come back."

When that was done, she led them down the flight of stairs in between the Lion door and Gorilla door. At the bottom was a small round room. The only piece of ornamentation that existed there was an extremely familiar boulder. The stone that formerly held their sabres.

"How did that get here," asked Kendrix, the scientific curiosity in her voice evident.

"I don't know," said Maya, "Maybe it moves whenever the fortress is awakened. Who knows? I certainly don't."

"So what do we do know fearless leader?" asked Damon.

"Nothing," said Leo, "It's almost night time any way so I suggest we take a page from Kai's book and get some rest. We'll think better in the morning."

* * *

One rule defines Leo's character; You can never rest until you've done something. If your team says you need rest; lie. So he sat in the living room that was near the entrance when he was sure everyone was asleep, planning. Or rather, trying to plan. He could not think of anything that didn't involve large amounts of civilian casualties. He created a flame in the fireplace, hoping that the welcoming heat would help him think.

It didn't.

"What do I do?" he said out loud.

"What you do," said a voice, "Is follow your own advice; get some rest."

He turned to the source of the noise and for some reason his heart skipped a beat.

Only Kendrix did that to him.

"I can't," he said, "I need to think, I need a plan, I ne-." She smothered his sentence with a kiss and held him tightly.

"I think that can wait til tomorrow," she said and she kissed him again. This kiss was more serious and he understood what she was telling him. He responded and they lost themselves in each other, feeling the other's heart beat against their own.


	9. Awkward is an understatement

**Author's Note: If you didn't read the last chapter here is the basic summary: Kendrix and Leo had sex. End of summary.**

**Question: How would readers feel about the Space Rangers making an appearance? It would explain some more stuff mentioned in the Forever Red fic.**

CHAPTER NINE

Mike paced the streets of the incomplete, yet sinister city that had ignited a war between two supposedly peaceful cultures. He had just listened as Commander Stannon commended him on not following "his traitorous brother into the wild" as the Commander had phrased it.

And Mike had to nod along and pretend to agree with everything that was said even though he felt like it twisted his insides. He had always had been a fan of spy movies but he was sure that Pierce Brosnan and Sean Connery had never felt their own guts turn against them as they agreed to hunt down their family. He knew that he wasn't really going to do anything of the sort but even saying such things, living in such corruption... It went against everything that was him.

"What do you see in me, little brother?" he murmured, careful not to let any passerby hear him utter such treason, "Because I don't know if I can do this."

* * *

The rug itched against Leo's bare skin.

_Wait a minute,_ he thought, _I don't sleep on a rug. I sleep on a mattress, in a tent. And why am I naked?_

He realised that there was something soft and warm lying in his arms and he looked down to the still sleeping Kendrix breathing softly.

She was also naked.

_Why is _she_ naked? Not that I'm complaining._

Suddenly, everything from the night before came back to him.

_The war._

_Maya's sister being the death that started it._

_Stannon going mad and ordering their execution._

_Kai was wounded during the retreat._

_The fortress._

_Kendrix and..._

Slowly her eyes opened.

"Hey you," she said, grinning from ear to ear.

"Hi," he responded, "Uh, how did you sleep?" _Oh great line Leo. "How did you sleep?" That's what you ask a girl you just slept with. Oh my God! I just slept with Kendrix!_

"Fantastic," she said. If it were possible, she seemed to grow even more radiant.

"Kendrix," he said, "I just realised something."

"What?" Her grin broadened.

"We just had sex." She raised an eyebrow, obviously amused at Leo's blurting out anything that came to mind.

"Brilliant deduction Sherlock," she said, "Do you have any other gems of wisdom?" He laughed.

"Don't ever change Kendrix," he said, embracing her.

The conversation became less verbal after that.

* * *

_KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!_

"Leo! Get up!" called Kai. His shoulder wound had miraculously recovered just as Maya has said it would. Now he and Damon were trying wake Leo up while Maya attempted to do the same for Kendrix.

"What's going on?" asked Kai, "They never sleep in."

"Yeah," agreed Damon, "If anyone sleeps in, it's me."

"What about you Maya?" asked Kai, "Can you get her?"

"No," said Maya, "She's either a _really_ heavy sleeper or she's not in her room." Kai raised his morpher to his mouth.

"Leo, Kendrix, are you there?" he asked. No response.

He later discovered that the astro morphers belonging to Red Ranger Leo Corbett and Pink Ranger Kendrix Morgan were currently stuffed under several cushions from the sofas of the living room, smothering the beeping sounds that they were making and also any noises that their owners might have made.

"No reply," he said gravely, "Now I'm worried. They always answer." He turned to Maya. "Is there anyway someone could have got inside the fortress and their rooms?"

"There shouldn't be," said Maya, "Someone _may_ have gotten past the outer defences is they were _exceptionally_ strong as the fortress defends itself, but absolutely _no one_ could have entered their rooms without their permission."

"Do you think they may have been kidnapped?" asked Damon.

"Yeah," affirmed Kai, "I think someone may have abducted them. They aren't in their rooms and they are not answering their morphers. But before we jump to any conclusions I think we should search the building. Maya, how much do you know about the layout to this place?"

"Only what I've heard and the legends don't really describe the fortress in detail," she said, "Only the rooms and the chamber that contains the stone are described. It would be stupid to tell anyone all of the defences. I think we should head to the living room at the entrance and start from there. While we search, we should also try to record a chart or map so we know our way around."

"That's a good idea," said Damon.

"I agree," said Kai, "Let's start there." As they walked he asked about paper and other writing materials.

"There should be something around here," she said, "The original Green Ranger Hayate was famous for his scholarly pursuits. That and playing the flute."

"But wouldn't the paper have mouldered away after three thousand years?" asked Damon. Maya laughed, "Look around you," she said, "The tapestries, the paintings, the furniture, it should all be faded, cracked, damaged and worn with time but look, it still appears to be brand new. Nothing is wasted. There's a kitchen around here somewhere and I'm sure the food is still edible and fresh."

"How much longer to the entrance?" asked Kai, "I was kind of out when we were there and I wasn't really paying any attention."

"Not long," said Damon, "Just a minute or two." He then turned grim, "I'm worried guys. What do we do if they are missing? We'll be down to three."

"We find them," said Maya. They were just seconds away from their destination with her leading the trio. "We-." The remainder of her sentence was lost in her choking sound of surprise that occurred the second she looked into the living room. She immediately spun around one hundred and eighty degrees, blushing as red as a beetroot. "How long has Leo been back?" she asked.

"One day," answered Damon, "Why?"

"And how come know one told me he and Kendrix were together?" she asked. "Howlong have they been together?"

"One day," answered Kai, "Why?"

"No reason," she said, "Let's go back."

"Why? What's wrong?" said Damon as he looked into the room. Like Maya he made an immediate U-turn and if not for his dark skin, he would have been blushing as brightly as Maya.

"Come on guys," said Kai, "It can't be all that bad." He looked inside. "It is that bad," he announced as he saw Leo Corbett and Kendrix Morgan, both completely naked, attempting to cover themselves with sofa cushions. Leo smiled awkwardly.

"Um, hi," he said with embarrassment, "Uh we just uh-."  
"Leo," Kai interrupted, "I don't think that _any_ explanation you think of is going to work. So please, to avoid making this more uncomfortable, please stop. I'm going to go now." And so he did.

As soon as he, Damon and Maya were well out of earshot he asked, "Why didn't you tell me they... you know? I wouldn't have walked in."

"Well actually they were still going at it when I walked in," said Maya.

"Too much information," the two men said in unison.

"Anyway it was kind of obvious, wasn't it?" she asked, "What else would have made Damon and I bolt out like that?"

"You know," said Damon, "We're very bad friends."

"Why?" asked Maya.

"That's kind of the second time we've interrupted them having a moment," answered Kai, "We _really_ need to stop doing that. It will make things _so_ much easier for all of us."

"Mike won the last pool, right?" she asked conversationally, "So what's the new one? Marriage?"

* * *

"Well," said Leo, "That was awkward." Kendrix smiled.

"Pretty much," she agreed, "But," she added in what she hoped was a seductive voice, "We should always finish what we've started."

"Yeah, you're right," he agreed as he embraced her, "What example would we be setting if we did otherwise?"

**Author's Note: This will be my last update on any of my stories until the 27****th**** so I hoped you enjoyed this.**

**Author's Note 2: Sorry for making Kai and Damon a little stupid when Maya told them not to go into the room. It was just SO much fun to force them into that awkward situation.**

**Feedback and reviews make for great Christmas presents for writers like myself.**

**Merry Christmas.**


	10. No More!

**When Leo and Kendrix woke up in the previous chapter it was seven 'o clock in the morning. This chapter takes place seven hours before at midnight.**

**This chapter is only going to be feature Mike as he has been underused so far in the story.**

**Enjoy **

CHAPTER TEN

Mike left the Command Tower with his throat threatening to overflow with bile. Stannon had called him and informed him of a "rebel camp" being located by one of the scouts. The images that were displayed showed fifteen small huts and tents, obviously slapped together recently. The people consisted mainly of women and children but that did _not_ in any way mean that they were undefended. Mike had seen firsthand what Mirinoian could do. Their martial culture, unlike Earth's, was able to see women as people of equal value to men.

But, they were clearly not doing well. According to Stannon they had only set up the camp for two days as they had been fleeing the military and had not been carrying enough food or water or other necessities. They were not living in poverty, but that could change easily. Oh that could change _so_ easily.

"Why are you showing me this, sir?" Mike had asked.

"What I want you to do, Corbett," Stannon replied, "Is, on the day after tomorrow, take ten squads and destroy the camp. No prisoners."

"Excuse me, Sir?"

"You heard me Mr Corbett. Such an attack will send the rebels a message. It will tell them that unless they surrender to justice, they will all die. Nowhere is safe: Not their main nest, their military outposts nor their _pathetic_ little refugee camps. Is that understood?" Mike numbly nodded and saluted.

"Ye-es sir," he answered with as much of a straight face he could muster.

What was happening to him? Even though he did not like the orders-

No, wait, that was the biggest understatement of the century.

He _hated_ the orders with every fibre of his being.

But what was he to do?

Leo and the others needed him to act as a spy and he couldn't do that if he had been executed as a traitor who refused to follow orders.

He needed to warn them somehow.

It was midnight and the darkness added to the blackness engulfing his soul.

_Okay, think! I can't go and warn them myself because if I'm seen I'll get shot as a spy. Anyway, even if I _could_ get there, the natives, they'd never believe me and they'll kill me for being a settler. So I need a way to warn them without going there myself. Brilliant! My train of thought has brought me absolutely no where!_

He broke himself out of his reverie and realised that he had paced around to the other side of the tower and about ten metres away from him were the two shackled Mirinoian prisoners. They still hadn't been adequately fed and it was _really_ starting to show. The boy barely moving and the girl had obviously given whatever scraps she had to him as her bones were visible through her skin.

His dilemma had made him need to show some form of defiance against this new, twisted regime even if he was the only one to see it.

"No more," he declared softly, "No more!"

Purposefully and deliberately, he strode over to the chained captives and the boy looked at him through terrified eyes and the girl, glaring daggers at Mike, moved as much as the chains allowed and placed herself between him and the boy.

Stopping a metre in front of them, he tossed them his canteen and ration bars.

Uncomprehending, she just stared at him this time in bewilderment.

"Eat, drink," he said kindly. The boy quickly grabbed a bar, stripped the wrapper from it and quite literally stuffed the food down his throat. He then proceeded to do the same to a second bar. And a third, utterly devouring it.

The girl, still eyeing him with suspicious brown eyed, slowly reached for a remaining bar, she sniffed it and proceeded to take a small nibble. Satisfied that all was well, she began to eat with the same gusto as her small fellow prisoner only stopping to take occasional swigs from the flask as did the boy.

Mike didn't say a word until they were finished but he did take another step forward and crouched down so he was at their eye level. He looked at the remains of his food and said wryly, "That's a week's worth of rations gone in under five minutes, that's quite an accomplishment."

He then reached into his belt and withdrew a GSA skeleton key and in under ten seconds, the lock was unlocked. The girl reached for her wrists, which were covered in red welts from the chains, and she began to rub them in an effort to restore circulation.

"I'm Mike," he said as way of introduction.

"Sherran," she replied softly, "This is my little brother Jak. Why are you doing this?" she asked, her brown eyes searching his face. Beneath the dirt, Mike noticed, she was beautiful. But there was steel to her as well and she was _not_ going to do anything without an explanation no matter how kind her saviour appeared to be. The soldiers who had captured her had burned the innocent naivety from her.

"To the north-west from here," he began, "There is a camp owned by your people. Now I've been ordered to lead an attack and massacre the inhabitants, so you have to get there first and warn them before the army gets there. Do you understand?"

She nodded.

"Are you and your brother strong enough to get there?"

She nodded again.

"Alright," he said, "Go on. Get started."

"Wait," she said, "Why are you doing this? Why do you want to warn my people? You're an invader."

Mike winced at the description.

"I'm not here by choice," he said, "And not all of us want to see the Mirinoians destroyed." He fumbled for the right words before finally saying, "I am not your enemy. Now run."

With one final look, Sherran and her brother fled into the night.

**Review**


	11. Brand new day

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Leo blocked an overhead slash and responded with a chop at his opponent's legs. His opponent leapt over the attack only to realise that he had been fooled with a diversion. Leo's real attack came from his left fist and it was a punch to the gut. He reeled and collapsed to the ground. Leo stood over him; sword pointed at his throat, and said, "Yield." From the ground, Kai grinned.  
"What else am I gonna do?" he asked cheerfully, "Now help me up." He took Leo's offered hand and stood up, gasping for breath. "You did _not_ have to hit me that hard," he complained, rubbing his midsection. He turned to Damon. "You're turn," he said. Damon's eyes widened.  
"Ah thanks but no thanks," he said, "I'd rather do uh... anything else than that. Anything that includes me keeping the same amount of blood that I currently posses."  
"Does the blood have to be inside your body?" Leo teased.  
"Yep."  
"You're no fun at all." Leo turned to Kai. "So, how's your shoulder," he asked.  
"It's fine," asserted Kai, "There's not even a mark there. So can everyone stop acting like I'm made of glass?"  
"Sorry," apologised Leo, "I just have to check."

The three men sat down, the four hour workout finally getting to them, the sweat darkening their clothing.  
"So," said Damon while attempting to fan himself with a sparring cushion, "About last ni-."  
"No," Leo cut him off, "Nothing about last night. New topic please."  
"You're not gonna tell us _anything_?" he asked incredulously.  
"I am _not_ having this discussion," said Leo, "It just happened, that's it, end of story."  
"Spoilsport," he murmured under his breath, just loud enough to be heard.  
"So anyway," said Kai who wanted to change the topic, "What's our plan."  
"I'm not sure," said Leo, "Right now I've got Maya sorting through some scrolls that Hayate, the original Green Ranger, wrote. It's written in Mirinoian so she's the only one who can make head or tail of it. I mean come on, why is it written backwards? Kendrix is looking at some papers that match the script in the galaxy book. We're really clutching at straws."  
"Anything else?" asked Damon, "We need to do something before this war escalates any further than it already has."  
"I know," replied Leo, "I was thinking that you could try using your powers unmorphed. I know it's a little difficult at first but trust me, it increases your strength threefold. Also, we need to get into contact with Mike and find out if he knows anything."

* * *

"Nothing, nothing, nothing, ancient recipe for waffles, nothing," intoned Maya before hurling the scrolls across the room. "This is getting me _nowhere!_" she said dramatically. Kendrix grinned at her friend's outburst. Maya noticed the look and groaned. "I preferred when you moping around after him," she said while retrieving the scrolls, "You were more bearable."

Kendrix sighed.

"And you weren't sighing all the time either," she said.  
"I wasn't sighing," protested Kendrix quickly.  
"Then what were you doing, pray tell?" she asked.  
"I was uh, exhaling," replied Kendrix, "Yeah, that's what I was doing." Despite herself, Maya smiled. It was nice to see her best friend looking so happy. Kendrix deserved it, especially after the past few days of worrying over Leo's Red Ranger only mission. The day's that _she_ had abandoned her friends to go and attack civilians. _Move on, s_he commanded herself.  
"So," she asked, her eyes glowing wickedly, "How was he?"  
Kendrix blushed a shade that matched her shirt. She opened and closed her mouth several times before producing a quiet, "It was nice." _Typical Kendrix_ thought Maya. _She can go on for days about how small amounts of chloride in the water can affect the growth of plants yet only has three words on the good stuff._"So question time," she asked, "How did you two end up together? I mean, you make small glances at each other for two years, I leave for _three_ days and you're in bed together or couch in this case. That _was_ the first time right?"  
"I don't know. It just happened," said Kendrix softly, "One minute, I'm slapping him for leaving us and the next we're kissing and well, the guys walked in." Maya grinned.  
"They said something about that," said Maya.  
"I love him," she said simply, "I completely adore him. And he feels the same way about me and even more importantly, I now _know_ he feels the same way." She looked at Maya, who had a strange look on her face. "What," she asked.  
"Nothing," replied Maya, "It's just... You're smiling. It's a good look for you."  
"We should get back to work," said Kendrix.

* * *

Mike ducked under a low hanging branch and used a machete to clear the unavoidable ferns and shrubberies. Thirty soldiers followed him, all armed to the teeth. Mike was very nervous. He didn't know if Sherran and her brother had made it in time to warn the village. If they had not, he had absolutely no idea what he would do.

Could he follow orders?

Thankfully, he never found out.

The village was completely abandoned. The entire place had been entirely stripped of any practical item. No useful thing had been left behind. Mike risked a small grin. She had done it. They were safe.


End file.
